A petition to put Issak Oliver Wolfe on the prom king ballot has garnered a lot of online support.

The story of a transgender student at Red Lion Area Senior High School has drawn attention and support online after his name was put on the ballot for prom queen instead of prom king.

Issak Oliver Wolfe, whose legal name is Sierra Stambaugh, said he has known he was different his entire life.

"It was just a matter of going through a process of figuring out what it was," he said Monday outside his North Hopewell Township home.

The summer after ninth-grade, he thought he figured out what it was.

Wolfe said his name comes from what his parents would have named him at birth, and Wolfe is in the bloodline of the family before Stambaugh.

"Junior year is when I would tell people and socially transition," he said. He's in therapy, and he plans to physically transition.

And while Wolfe and his dad say many in the Red Lion district have been supportive of him, the recent decision to put Wolfe on the ballot for prom queen, instead of king, has drawn an outcry.

Wolfe, 18, said that everyone who buys a ticket is on the ballot for prom court. On Wednesday, he thought he would appear on the ballot as Issak Oliver Wolfe.

"I was completely under the impression that everything was a go," he said. "That night I came home and I made these ridiculous little fliers with pictures of me and little sayings."

He handed out fliers, and said he got positive feedback. Around lunch time, he was getting ready to cast his vote. His friends told him they couldn't find his name on there.

They finally found his birth name on the girls' side.

"If I would have known they would've done that, I probably would have opted out," he said. "...What bothers me the most is they never told me."

He said he felt horrible after that. He went to speak to an assistant principal. The principals were out of the building on a meeting at first.

A guidance counselor consoled him, he said. Then a teacher and assistant principal joined them.

"I was just humiliated and distraught at that point," he said.

Wolfe's story became the subject of a Facebook page, and it was shared on the Facebook page of Have a Gay Day, which describes itself as supporting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight people. As of Tuesday, that post had been liked by more than 3,000 people and shared nearly 1,300 times.

A petition was also posted to Change.org supporting Wolfe for prom king and for his name to be read at graduation. It had 2,165 supporters as of Tuesday afternoon.

The online posts identify a high school official as responsible for making the decision to put Issak on the ballot for queen and not king.

District Supt. Scott Deisley responded to an email, saying "for the safety and well-being of the students at RLASHS, the family, staff and administration ask that you respect our privacy in this matter."

William Stambaugh, Issak's father, said he became aware of the issue over the weekend and met with Principal Mark Shue and an assistant principal on Monday. Stambaugh said Shue told him he didn't feel comfortable because of the traditional nature of prom king and queen.

Shue could not be reached for comment.

Stambaugh, of York Township, supports Wolfe's efforts to be prom king, he said.

"I thought it's very progressive and inclusive," Stambaugh said. But he understands the district not wanting to cause an uproar, too.

Wolfe declined to name several people when telling his story. He said he doesn't want to hurt the principal, Shue, or the principal's position.

He also praised the school.

"They're all good people," he said. "They just -- a bad decision was made."

He said there are a lot of supportive teachers who don't tolerate discrimination in any shape or form. The school recently allowed students to hold a Day of Silence, a national movement that focuses on harassment, bias and abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, he said. At Red Lion, Wolfe said he and others wanted to send a broader message about bullying, that they wouldn't tolerate harassment of anyone.

Wolfe said his official school documents, use his former name. If he feels comfortable with his teachers, he uses Issak.

Stambaugh, too, said the district has been supportive as Wolfe has gone through his transition, trying to provide guidance.

"They could've just ignored the whole situation," he said, which would have made Wolfe's life more difficult.

Stambaugh said he was concerned for Wolfe's safety, if the prom issue "blows up." He wants Wolfe to be safe more than he wants him to be prom king.

"His safety ... is of the utmost importance," Stambaugh said.

Stambaugh said he might check back in with school officials this week, but he doesn't expect a change in the decision on prom king.

Wolfe said he's tried not to read the comments about his story online.

"They'll either inflate my head or break my heart," he said.

Prom is Saturday.

Wolfe said if he doesn't go, that wouldn't be sending a positive message.

"It'll almost look cowardly if I don't go," he said. "I have this great suit, too."